Bacon lovers know that cooking bacon on the stovetop is a hassle. The hot oil sizzles and pops, spattering all over the stovetop. Cleanup afterward is no easy feat. You could bake bacon in the oven to reduce the splatter, but it takes up to 20 minutes (plus time to preheat the oven). Air-fryer bacon, on the other hand, has all the mess-free benefits of oven-baked bacon without the long cook time.
Air-fryer bacon is fast. Air fryers work by circulating hot air around food, which is elevated on a rack to ensure it crisps up on all sides. In less than 10 minutes, the bacon becomes perfectly crispy on the edges and chewy on the inside. Once you know how to cook bacon in an air fryer, you might never go back!
How Long to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer
We cook bacon for six to eight minutes in a 375°F air fryer. It’s always best to peek inside at the lower end of the suggested time range; crispiness preferences vary and different types of bacon may take longer to cook than others (air-fryer cooking times can also vary between models). You can always add more time and make the bacon crispier, but it’s hard to fix burnt bacon!
Air-Fryer Bacon Ingredients
- Bacon: Use this recipe to prepare your favorite type of bacon. (If you don’t have a favorite type of bacon, try our Test Kitchen’s pick for the best bacon.)
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the bacon
Preheat the air fryer to 375°.
In batches, arrange the bacon in a single layer in the air fryer basket, cutting the strips to fit if necessary.
Editor’s Tip: It’s OK if the edges of the bacon touch slightly—the pieces will shrink as they cook. But the bacon won’t crisp up if the basket is overcrowded with overlapping pieces.
Step 2: Air-fry the bacon
Cook the bacon for two to three minutes. Then, flip the bacon, and continue to cook until the strips reach the desired level of doneness, four to five minutes longer.
Editor’s Tip: Don’t forget to save the bacon grease that collects in the air-fryer basket. You can use it for cooking and baking, and it makes the best breakfast potatoes!
Ways to Use Air-Fryer Bacon
- Breakfast: Serve bacon as the side to your favorite breakfast recipes, or add bacon to breakfast casseroles, frittatas and omelets.
- BLTs: Whip up a southern fried BLT sandwich, or make one of these BLT-inspired recipes.
- Salads: Crumbled bacon adds a salty, crispy crunch to salads (especially Cobb salad).
- Pizza: Bacon tastes great on bacon breakfast pizza, on bacon and spinach pizza, and on most other pizza, too.
- Garnish: Use bacon as a garnish for air-fryer baked potatoes, creamy white chili, deviled eggs or pasta dishes like cacio e pepe.
How to Store and Reheat Air-Fryer Bacon
Store leftover bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover cooked bacon lasts three to four days in the fridge. You can also freeze cooked bacon for up to six months in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
To reheat, place the bacon in an air fryer preheated to 375°. Cook for about five minutes or until crispy. Adjust the cook time as needed for frozen bacon.
Air-Fryer Bacon Tips
Can you cook turkey bacon in the air fryer?
Yes, this air-fryer bacon recipe works for turkey bacon, too. Cook turkey bacon the same way you would cook regular bacon.
How do you keep the air fryer from smoking while cooking bacon?
Bacon starts to smoke at 400°, so we keep the air-fryer temperature at 375° to avoid any issues. If you don’t plan to save the bacon grease, you can add a piece of bread to the air fryer basket to absorb the grease. Just make sure it’s underneath the rack so it doesn’t interfere with the crisping process.
How much bacon can you air-fry at once?
Depending on the size of your air fryer and how much bacon you’re cooking, you may need to air-fry in batches. Just be sure to wipe down the air fryer between each batch to prevent smoking—and clean the air fryer before the bacon grease has a chance to solidify.
Can you air-fry frozen bacon?
You can cook frozen bacon in the air fryer, but it takes an extra three to four minutes. It’s OK if the bacon is too frozen to separate into individual pieces; cook the bacon as a slab for the first three minutes. Then, separate the slices, spread them out on the air fryer rack and cook as directed above.
